the stench of great-power humiliation

[GoodTaste]

But in the short term the abandonment of Afghanistan to Taliban rule after nearly 20 years of American commitment—the images of panicked retreat and the pleas of terrified Afghan allies, the stench of great-power humiliation that inevitably recalled the evacuation of Saigon in 1975—mocks Mr Biden’s claims that “America is back”; that conviction in democracy and compassion for the oppressed have a place beside self-interest at the centre of his foreign policy; and that at least, after four years of buffoonery, American leadership is once again competent.

Source: The Economist.

The humiliation upon whom? It is not clear to me what "great-power" refers to and hence this thread comes to exist. The US is a great power and the world leader, so I guess the author means it is the US who humiliates others (here particularly humiliates Afghanistan). I am not sure.

 

[5jj]

It is the great power, the US, that has been humiliated.

 

[Tdol]

And the stench suggests decay to the writer. (A language point, not a political one.)

 

[GoodTaste]

From the same context:

In fact, by supplying so much combat experience, America appears to have been more effective in training Taliban fighters. Veterans are stepping forward to say they now feel their sacrifices were for nothing, a conclusion that should help force a reckoning within the armed forces, as after Vietnam.

Does "force a reckoning" mean "force a punishment (for misdeeds)"?

 

[Tdol]

Force a serious re-evaluation of what actually happened.